Do You Get What You Pay For From Your ISP?
By Alex Ramia
Vice President, Innofone.com, Inc.

In a world where fees are charged for every aspect of a service, the buyer would like some certainty that the "the box is not empty," and what's on the box, is in the box. In a physical store this confirmation is simple, however in a digital world it becomes another issue.

In February's 6Sense I gave one example from history regarding AOL and its modem issues. This month I have another that will help shed some light on what you're really getting from your ISP.

Throughout the phone company, the creed of reliability was a mantra adopted with pride and displayed through 100+ years of experience, reliability and discipline. And for that toil we enjoy a phone service that continues to work during a power outage and storms — always getting a fast connection and high general reliability. The phone company has set the precedent for telecommunications reliability. This high reliability provides confidence in the commercial engine of our economy and it has become a secure part of our daily lives. Each of us is given our own identity on this network, which is linked today to numerous identifiers of the owner, of which all are considered a valid identification through connections over the voice network.

This number and its associated address are used in conjunction with Social Security numbers to purchase homes, cars and acquire credit. We use this number to activate our credit and debit cards. This number has become part of our global commercial engine.

Is there Internet Malpractice?
This quality of service is included with the monthly fee. For our fee to use this network we get protection and security while online.

Most of our digital connections come from the same Public Switched Telephone Network via a device called a modem. Cable uses a similar device. Irrespective of the method, it's all digital.

So what do we get for this digital service?

• A "time" shared number thats not unique to you
• Performance subject to traffic fluctuations
• Limited performance due to required network address translation (NAT)
• SPAM
• Phishing
• Spoofing
• Hacking

The predominant digital charges today allow us to take a peek at the Internet world, and touch on a few of its abilities. This poor quality of service limits the ability to engage in trusted commerce, and this has slowed the growth of the World Wide Web. Anonymity associated with our changing time shared number requires us to identify ourselves repeatedly while in use and allows bandits to masquerade as friends, and for criminals to pose as anyone. The digital premium we pay each month is for a thrill ride access to what I call, " The Wild Wild Web." Customers access this digital a network with only speculative merchant ID and equally speculative consumer ID.

Consumers find it is harder to manage the constant unique identifiers required as more and more companies transition to web-based services. Service providers spend millions on complex Internet address management systems. Consumers are constantly misidentified or even denied access due to their association with a shared Internet number.

Is there a current solution for this?
Absolutely!

IPv6 address is a number that is larger than the one we use for our phone system. This new address is available throughout most of our existing "Wild Wild Web." With minimal cost and, in some cases only manual programming and configuration, it can be delivered to all digital consumers today.

Innofone is the first public company and a global leader in configuration of IPv6 providing transition plans that are completely invisible to a provider's consumers. With Innofone technology, unique services can be offered and existing services can be secured with unparalleled security.

Imagine a Web that requires fewer identifications, secure communications and a digital network that works as advertised. No more support calls for NAT failed applications. Programs that work as advertised. The customer support savings for most Internet providers is staggering with only a one-time cost to make the transition. The ability to create new ways to retain churn and offer new services is equally staggering.

Now that you know what's in the digital box, do you feel like your getting what you pay for?

The growth of our network is inevitable; as fuel prices rise more users will transition to virtual offices. Cheaper devices that access the Internet are coming to market. Combined with mobile phones, the demand for World Wide Web network access will place a strain on the existing shared address pool and increase cyber crime.

I'm not sure about you, but I have a strong the box is empty feeling — it's one of those childhood feelings where the graphics on the box were far superior to what was inside.